Princesses have become all the rage lately. They are everywhere from backpacks to t-shirts. In fact, the eight "Disney Princesses" have done wonders to boost the popularity of princesses (Arkoff, 2006). However, there's one princess who is missing. Where's Rapunzel? Disney, the purveyor of all things princesses, is coming out with a Rapunzel movie, but until then, young princesses must whet their appetite with Barbie. Barbie as Rapunzel (Hurley, 2002) is an insipid tale of a young girl who gets locked in a tower for meeting a boy and refusing to tell her godmother who he is. With the help of her friend, a bunny and a dragon (both talking of course), Rapunzel saves the day by defeating her evil guardian, solving a feud, helping her dragon fly, and making it back in time to celebrate her new boyfriend's birthday. Why doesn't she save the world on top of it? Does this modern day version sound like the Rapunzel who so famously "let down her hair?"
Barbie as "Rapunzel" and Prince Stefan. Figure 2: Barbie and Prince Stefan (n.d.). Source: Classicmedia.com.
Initially, Rapunzel did not begin as the story we know today. In fact, Rapunzel wasn't the heroine's name at all. The Fair Angiola, the oldest version of the Rapunzel-like tales, has a girl with long hair who lives in a tower, but that's where the similarities end. The "evil witch" is actually a woman who loves Angiola like a daughter, so much so, that when Angiola escapes, the witch attempts to get her back, but ultimately lets her go. Interestingly enough, when Angiola is cursed with the face of a dog, the prince doesn't want her any more...not quite the Rapunzel we are used to. In this version of Rapunzel, Angiola is a resourceful girl who tricks the enchanted furniture in the witch's house and manages to save herself and the prince (Crane, 1885).
After The Fair Angiola, a trend develops, beginning with the Brothers Grimm's Rapunzel, first published in 1890. From this story on, the title of the story is tied to the plant that is stolen from the witch's garden. Rapunzel is named after a type of lettuce (Grimm, J. & Grimm, W., 1890). Other versions have her being named after parsley and plums (Basile, 1894 and Lang, 1900). This is ironic because her very name links her to the plant that would lead to her imprisonment and she can never escape that reminder.
Through all the versions of Rapunzel, it is clear that something gets stolen, the girl is given over as payment to the witch, and eventually, she is locked in a tower. However, what happens to her during her escape varies drastically from tale to tale. In The Fair Angiola and Parsley, the heroine takes three items from either the tower or the home of the witch and uses them to help save herself and the prince. These items cause the witch to slow her chase of the two. In fact, in The Fair Angiola, the witch is killed by one of the three items, three being the fairytale number of choice. This was surprising because in my experience, Rapunzel is always the damsel in distress. She never does anything to help herself, and yet here she is, saving the day. The Brothers Grimm (1890) version of Rapunzel instead focuses on Rapunzel's nonescape. Instead of escaping as planned with the prince, she is banished by the witch to a desert. This was shocking to me because I did not remember this at all. Of all the versions, this one offered the most terrible circumstances for Rapunzel and the prince and yet is the one I remember best. It clearly shows the mores of the time - Rapunzel, like women in the 1890's were expected to be submissive to their husbands. They had no say over their lives and neither did she.
Figure 4: Rapunzel (n.d.). Note: Copyright Ashley Smith 2007.
Prunella offers an even different take on this tale with the witch's son as Prunella's rescuer (Lang, 1900). There is no handsome prince that saves the day, instead, Benisabel works hard to win the love of Prunella and save her life even when she does not appreciate the sacrifices he makes for her. Ultimately, he kills his mother, the witch, to save Prunella and she realizes his good heart. Like Prunella, the main focus of the tale Juan and Clotilde is on the male (Fansler, 1921). We see very little of Clotilde's life inside the tower, but we learn much about Juan. He battles his own family in order to save Clotilde and goes through many hardships to be with her. He is the true hero of this story, and along with Benisabel is the only one male with a name. Another point worth noting is that neither Benisabel nor Juan are princes, yet they are named. The princes are not, maybe because they do not have a main role in the story or because one prince is interchangeable with another?
As times changed, so did the story of Rapunzel. In Sesame Street's 1974 "News Flash" Rapunzel becomes a comic figure, something she has never been before when she (literally) lets down her hair. This skit does not offer any character insight, like its predecessors, but demystifies the fairy tale into two common people having an argument. A totally new spin on an old tale was typical of the 1970's. Click the viewer below to watch the short clip.
In the 1990's, there was a huge revival of updated fairytales. Napoli (1996) updated Rapunzel as Zel. This young adult novel took a deep, dark look at the motivations of Zel's "mother" and Zel's own mental state as she spent time isolated from the world in the tower. It's a tale that has none of the fairy tale "magic" of earlier versions. Instead, it is a more realistic vision of a girl who has to live her life according to someone else's fears. Instead of just a girl who has no control over her situation and dangles her hair down a tower, Zel has feelings. The feelings of isolation and loneliness alluded to in other versions is portrayed loud and clear through Zel's actions. She starts out drawing and winds up training her own lice so that she can have something to do. This progression turns Zel from a static character into one that has definite thoughts and feelings.
Shannon and Dean Hale (2008) take Rapunzel on an even different path...that of a warrior. Rapunzel's Revenge is told in graphic novel format...except this time, it is set in the Wild West. Rapunzel is the hope of salvation for the people who live within Gothel's reach. Instead of having blonde hair like all the Rapunzels before her, her hair is shockingly red and she uses it to swing from trees, lasso bad guys, and reign in wild beasts. This Rapunzel needs help from no one. She is utterly independent, but she cares for the people around her. There is another environmental component to this book about how Gothel uses resources and is depleting them unnecessarily. Of all the Rapunzels, this is the one with the most modern message. Rapunzel is clearly a modern day woman with sensibilities from the 21st century. Instead of relying on a guy to rescue her, she teaches girls to follow their instincts and rely on themselves while caring about the society they live in. The underlying message of environmental responsibility is another key issue in today's world.
Even though girls today think of Rapunzel as a princess without any modern day sensibilities (thanks in part to movies like Barbie as Rapunzel), children's picture books like Rapunzel, A Groovy Fairy Tale put Rapunzel in a modern day setting and show how this story might just be possible. Roberts (2003) makes her picture book Rapunzel accessible in large part by portraying the witch as an evil lunch lady and Rapunzel as trapped at the top of an apartment building in a city. While this Rapunzel does have the gumption of Hale's, she does have some really great modern outfits and the ability to get to her friend Roger, even if he can't get to her.
The Hair
Rapunzel in almost all her forms is known for having "long beautiful hair." Mostly, it was blonde. However, in the two most recent versions of this story, Rapunzel's Revenge and Rapunzel, A Groov
This is the final version of Rapunzel. Notice how having red hair makes her appear to be much more dangerous and independent. Figure 6: Rapunzel's Revenge (2007). Note: Copyright Nathan Hale.
y Fairy Tale, the hair has changed color from blonde to red. This may seem inconsequential, but as young girls relate long blonde hair with beauty, the introduction of a new hair color into "beautiful" means that many nonblondes can see themselves as beautiful too. Since I am a brunette, I'm personally waiting for the brunette Rapunzel. Look at the difference below.
This is the first drawing of Rapunzel - notice the blonde hair. It makes her seem like she's pretending to be dangerous. Figure 5: First Draft Rapunzel's Revenge (2007). Note: Copyright Nathan Hale.
Also, in most of the stories, Rapunzel's hair is cut, yet she still maintains her beauty...especially in the more modern tales. In fact, in Rapunzel's Revenge, her short hair makes her seem much more modern and cool.
Notice the witch like features of Mother Gothel - pointy nose, dressed in black, downward eyebrows. Figure 7: Mother Gothel (2007). Note: Copyright Nathan Hale.
Gothel
The name Gothel comes up again and again in the modern versions of Rapunzel. According to Heiner (2007), in older works of literature, Gothel was a name originally given to women who served the purpose of godmother. While this is all well and good, none of the versions of Rapunzel up to 1921 used this name for the "witch" or "ogress." Instead, using the name Gothel seems to be an attempt to give credibility to a more modern take on Rapunzel. Both Barbie as Rapunzel and Rapunzel's Revenge call the evil woman "Gothel." Both of the stories take very modern liberties with the original version of Rapunzel which makes me think this was a nod to the older versions and an attempt to give the stories clout.
Age
The majority of Rapunzel stories have Rapunzel being locked away between ages 12 - 18. Critics believe that this was seen as a sign of protection as women began to menstrate. Once this happened, they needed to be guarded and locked up to maintain their purity.
Throughout her tenure as the forgotten princess, Rapunzel's story has been developing from that of an oppressed girl, into an independent feminist. As modern social mores and sensibilities changed, so did Rapunzel and her message for girls. Currently, she shows young girls that they don't need a man to help them through life. Instead, they just need ingenuity and themselves. In fact, the story of Rapunzel is about to change once again as Disney's Rapunzel movie Tangled appears in theatres this fall. Since the protagonist in this tale is a boy, it will be interesting to see what debates are sparked by a boy playing such a key role in a traditionally static male story. Additionally, other artists are looking more closely at what happens after the Rapunzel story. Sara Bareillas (2007) sang in her song Fairytale, "the tall blonde lets out a cry of despair says well I'd cut it myself if I knew men could climb hair. I'll have to find another tower somewhere and keep away from the windows." This song questions whether the fairytale ending that happens is really the ending that it's cracked up to be - a sentiment that is only bound to keep growing as
society becomes more disillusioned. But, as a new version of Rapunzel is about to "let down her hair," we are bound to be seeing a lot more her at long last.
Progression of Rapunzel
Princesses have become all the rage lately. They are everywhere from backpacks to t-shirts. In fact, the eight "Disney Princesses" have done wonders to boost the popularity of princesses (Arkoff, 2006). However, there's one princess who is missing. Where's Rapunzel? Disney, the purveyor of all things princesses, is coming out with a Rapunzel movie, but until then, young princesses must whet their appetite with Barbie. Barbie as Rapunzel (Hurley, 2002) is an insipid tale of a young girl who gets locked in a tower for meeting a boy and refusing to tell her godmother who he is. With the help of her friend, a bunny and a dragon (both talking of course), Rapunzel saves the day by defeating her evil guardian, solving a feud, helping her dragon fly, and making it back in time to celebrate her new boyfriend's birthday. Why doesn't she save the world on top of it? Does this modern day version sound like the Rapunzel who so famously "let down her hair?"
After The Fair Angiola, a trend develops, beginning with the Brothers Grimm's Rapunzel, first published in 1890. From this story on, the title of the story is tied to the plant that is stolen from the witch's garden. Rapunzel is named after a type of lettuce (Grimm, J. & Grimm, W., 1890). Other versions have her being named after parsley and plums (Basile, 1894 and Lang, 1900). This is ironic because her very name links her to the plant that would lead to her imprisonment and she can never escape that reminder.
Through all the versions of Rapunzel, it is clear that something gets stolen, the girl is given over as payment to the witch, and eventually, she is locked in a tower. However, what happens to her during her escape varies drastically from tale to tale. In The Fair Angiola and Parsley, the heroine takes three items from either the tower or the home of the witch and uses them to help save herself and the prince. These items cause the witch to slow her chase of the two. In fact, in The Fair Angiola, the witch is killed by one of the three items, three being the fairytale number of choice. This was surprising because in my experience, Rapunzel is always the damsel in distress. She never does anything to help herself, and yet here she is, saving the day. The Brothers Grimm (1890) version of Rapunzel instead focuses on Rapunzel's nonescape. Instead of escaping as planned with the prince, she is banished by the witch to a desert. This was shocking to me because I did not remember this at all. Of all the versions, this one offered the most terrible circumstances for Rapunzel and the prince and yet is the one I remember best. It clearly shows the mores of the time - Rapunzel, like women in the 1890's were expected to be submissive to their husbands. They had no say over their lives and neither did she.
Prunella offers an even different take on this tale with the witch's son as Prunella's rescuer (Lang, 1900). There is no handsome prince that saves the day, instead, Benisabel works hard to win the love of Prunella and save her life even when she does not appreciate the sacrifices he makes for her. Ultimately, he kills his mother, the witch, to save Prunella and she realizes his good heart. Like Prunella, the main focus of the tale Juan and Clotilde is on the male (Fansler, 1921). We see very little of Clotilde's life inside the tower, but we learn much about Juan. He battles his own family in order to save Clotilde and goes through many hardships to be with her. He is the true hero of this story, and along with Benisabel is the only one male with a name. Another point worth noting is that neither Benisabel nor Juan are princes, yet they are named. The princes are not, maybe because they do not have a main role in the story or because one prince is interchangeable with another?
As times changed, so did the story of Rapunzel. In Sesame Street's 1974 "News Flash" Rapunzel becomes a comic figure, something she has never been before when she (literally) lets down her hair. This skit does not offer any character insight, like its predecessors, but demystifies the fairy tale into two common people having an argument. A totally new spin on an old tale was typical of the 1970's. Click the viewer below to watch the short clip.
In the 1990's, there was a huge revival of updated fairytales. Napoli (1996) updated Rapunzel as Zel. This young adult novel took a deep, dark look at the motivations of Zel's "mother" and Zel's own mental state as she spent time isolated from the world in the tower. It's a tale that has none of the fairy tale "magic" of earlier versions. Instead, it is a more realistic vision of a girl who has to live her life according to someone else's fears. Instead of just a girl who has no control over her situation and dangles her hair down a tower, Zel has feelings. The feelings of isolation and loneliness alluded to in other versions is portrayed loud and clear through Zel's actions. She starts out drawing and winds up training her own lice so that she can have something to do. This progression turns Zel from a static character into one that has definite thoughts and feelings.
Shannon and Dean Hale (2008) take Rapunzel on an even different path...that of a warrior. Rapunzel's Revenge is told in graphic novel format...except this time, it is set in the Wild West. Rapunzel is the hope of salvation for the people who live within Gothel's reach. Instead of having blonde hair like all the Rapunzels before her, her hair is shockingly red and she uses it to swing from trees, lasso bad guys, and reign in wild beasts. This Rapunzel needs help from no one. She is utterly independent, but she cares for the people around her. There is another environmental component to this book about how Gothel uses resources and is depleting them unnecessarily. Of all the Rapunzels, this is the one with the most modern message. Rapunzel is clearly a modern day woman with sensibilities from the 21st century. Instead of relying on a guy to rescue her, she teaches girls to follow their instincts and rely on themselves while caring about the society they live in. The underlying message of environmental responsibility is another key issue in today's world.
Even though girls today think of Rapunzel as a princess without any modern day sensibilities (thanks in part to movies like Barbie as Rapunzel), children's picture books like Rapunzel, A Groovy Fairy Tale put Rapunzel in a modern day setting and show how this story might just be possible. Roberts (2003) makes her picture book Rapunzel accessible in large part by portraying the witch as an evil lunch lady and Rapunzel as trapped at the top of an apartment building in a city. While this Rapunzel does have the gumption of Hale's, she does have some really great modern outfits and the ability to get to her friend Roger, even if he can't get to her.
The Hair
Rapunzel in almost all her forms is known for having "long beautiful hair." Mostly, it was blonde. However, in the two most recent versions of this story, Rapunzel's Revenge and Rapunzel, A Groov
Also, in most of the stories, Rapunzel's hair is cut, yet she still maintains her beauty...especially in the more modern tales. In fact, in Rapunzel's Revenge, her short hair makes her seem much more modern and cool.
Gothel
The name Gothel comes up again and again in the modern versions of Rapunzel. According to Heiner (2007), in older works of literature, Gothel was a name originally given to women who served the purpose of godmother. While this is all well and good, none of the versions of Rapunzel up to 1921 used this name for the "witch" or "ogress." Instead, using the name Gothel seems to be an attempt to give credibility to a more modern take on Rapunzel. Both Barbie as Rapunzel and Rapunzel's Revenge call the evil woman "Gothel." Both of the stories take very modern liberties with the original version of Rapunzel which makes me think this was a nod to the older versions and an attempt to give the stories clout.
Age
The majority of Rapunzel stories have Rapunzel being locked away between ages 12 - 18. Critics believe that this was seen as a sign of protection as women began to menstrate. Once this happened, they needed to be guarded and locked up to maintain their purity.
Throughout her tenure as the forgotten princess, Rapunzel's story has been developing from that of an oppressed girl, into an independent feminist. As modern social mores and sensibilities changed, so did Rapunzel and her message for girls. Currently, she shows young girls that they don't need a man to help them through life. Instead, they just need ingenuity and themselves. In fact, the story of Rapunzel is about to change once again as Disney's Rapunzel movie Tangled appears in theatres this fall. Since the protagonist in this tale is a boy, it will be interesting to see what debates are sparked by a boy playing such a key role in a traditionally static male story. Additionally, other artists are looking more closely at what happens after the Rapunzel story. Sara Bareillas (2007) sang in her song Fairytale, "the tall blonde lets out a cry of despair says well I'd cut it myself if I knew men could climb hair. I'll have to find another tower somewhere and keep away from the windows." This song questions whether the fairytale ending that happens is really the ending that it's cracked up to be - a sentiment that is only bound to keep growing as
References
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Arkoff, V. (2006). How Disney Princesses Work. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/how-disney-princess-works7.htm
Barbie and Stefan [Online Image]. (n.d.) Retrieved July 15, 2010, from Classicmedia.com. http://78.136.27.54:8080/programming/article_563.asp
Bareillas, S. (2007). Fairytale. On Little Voice [CD]. Epic.
Basile, G. (1894). Parsley (Petrosinella). The Story of Stories. (J. Taylor, Trans., H. Zimmern, Ed.). London: T. Tisher Unwin. Retrieved July 14, 2010, from http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0310.html
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Fansler, D. (1921). Juan and Clotilde. Filipino Popular Tales. Lancaster: American Folk-Lore Society. Retrieved July 14, 2010, from http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0310.html.
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Hale, S.& Hale, D. (2008). Rapunzel’s Revenge. Hale, N. (Illus.). New York: Bloomsbury.
Hale, N. (Artist). (2007). First Draft Rapunzel's Revenge, [Online Image]. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from Shannon Hale's Blogspot. http://everydayislikewednesday.blogspot.com/2008/09/nathan-hale-on-rapunzels-revenge.html
Hale, N. (Artist). (2007). Mother Goethel, [Online Image]. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from Lancette Arts Journal. http://www.lancette-arts-journal.ca/Child_books03.htm
Hale, N. (Artist). (2007). Rapunzel's Revenge, [Online Image]. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from Shannon Hale's Blogspot. http://everydayislikewednesday.blogspot.com/2008/09/nathan-hale-on-rapunzels-revenge.html
Heiner, H. A. (2007). Annotations for Rapunzel. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/rapunzel/notes.html#TWO
Henson, J. (1974). News flash: Rapunzel [Television series episode]. In Sesame street. New York: Jim Henson Productions.
Hurley, O. (Director). (2002). Barbie as Rapunzel [Motion Picture]. United States of America: Lions Gate.
Lang, A. (1900). Prunella. The Grey Fairybook. London: Longmans, Green, and Company. Retrieved July 14, 2010, from http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0310.html
Napoli, D. (1996). Zel. New York: Puffin.
Rapunzel. [Online Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2010, from disneyworldhandbook.com. http://www.disneyworldhandbook.com/disneys-tangled-rapunzel-retold-in-walt-disney-style/
Rapunzel's Cottage [Online Image]. (n.d.). Retrieved July 15, 2010, from abouttowntours.com. http://www.abouttowntours.com/For-Tweens-&-Teens.htm
Roberts, L. (2003). Rapunzel: a groovy fairy tale. Roberts, D. (Illus.). New York: Harry N. Abrams.
Smith, A. (n.d.). [Rapunzel], [Online Image]. Retrieved July 15, 2010, from Ashley Smith's website. http://www.ashleyasmith.com/gallery/kids.htm
This project was proudly completed by Stacy Wolfe.